Media Critique #34: Eyeless In Gaza

The October edition of Harper's Magazine features "A Gaza Diary," where reporter Chris Hedges accuses Israeli soldiers of deliberately goading Palestinian children and murdering them for sport.

The Harper's piece is not available online, but Hedges repeated his accusations on National Public Radio's "Fresh Air" show (October 30). The audio file is online at: http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/fa/20011030.fa.01.ram To hear the Gaza segment, set the sliding button on your media player to start at 20 minutes.

As a flood of complaints hit NPR over the broadcast of a lopsided interview with Chris Hedges ("Gaza Diary"), Jeffrey Dvorkin, the NPR ombudsman (jdvorkin@npr.org) responded with curt arrogance:

"If you have a problem with Hedges' reporting you might want to contact the NY Times where he is employed and Harper's Magazine which published his article on Gaza."

Does NPR seriously believe it can obviate responsibility for what it broadcasts?

Meanwhile, Danny Miller (dmiller@whyy.org), executive producer of the Hedges radio segment, was far more responsive:

"We should have asked some clarifying followups, exploring this story from the Israeli side: asking why the Israeli government feels it needs to be in the West Bank, and to try to understand the perspective of an Israeli soldier on the front lines."

Apparently all this scrutiny is causing Hedges to back off. Miller reports Hedges as saying:

"I do not think the Israeli army usually or even often baits kids... So I did not want to imply that this was typical, at least from my experience."

Chris Hedges, investigative reporter for the New York Times and Mid East bureau chief for the Times from 1991-95, said in an article in the October Harper's that he witnessed soldiers in an Israeli outpost next to the Khan Younis refugee camp enticing children into rifle range and then shooting them with rifles equipped with silencers.

Hedges, in one passage in the 11-page article in Harper's, said that he was at the refugee camp on Sunday afternoon, June 17, when a voice came over the Israeli loudspeaker saying, "Come on, dogs, where are all the dogs of Khan Younis? Come! Come!"

Come on, dogs, where are all the dogs of Khan Younis?

Boys, most no more than 10 or 11 years old, according to Hedges, responded to the taunts by throwing rocks over an electric fence at two armored Israeli jeeps.

The fence separates the camp from a Jewish settlement where the "whitewashed villas and manicured lawns and gardens look as if they have been lifted out of a southern California suburb." A percussion grenade scattered one group of boys, writes Hedges.

The soldiers, shooting with M-16 rifles equipped with silencers, sent bullets that "tumble end-over-end through the children's slight bodies," killing 11-year-old Ali Murad and seriously wounding four more, three of them under 18, according to Hedges. On the previous day, he writes, eight were shot under similar circumstances, six of them under 18.

Hedges writes he has seen children shot in El Salvador, Guatemala and Sarajevo, and mothers with infants lined up and massacred in Algeria, "but I have never before watched soldiers entice children like mice into a trap and murder them for sport."

RESPONSE

As for Hedges' main accusation that Israeli soldiers deliberately goad Palestinian children and murder them for sport:

It is certainly true that no other army has such restrained orders as the Israeli army. True, Israeli soldiers have orders not to shoot unless they are in direct danger. True, Israeli soldiers are instructed never to shoot to kill, and then, to aim only at the source of the shooting, never randomly.

Even the virulently anti-Semitic Arabic press never thought to concoct such a claim.

True, Hedges claim is so far-fetched, that the virulently anti-Semitic Arabic press -- which in the past has concocted outrageous slander like accusing Israel of using Arab blood to bake matzahs, and accusing the Israeli Mossad of planning the September 11 attacks -- never even thought to concoct such a claim.

On the other hand, it is impossible to disprove Hedges' claim -- because we were not there.

But we suspect Hedges wasn't there, either. His account is rife with factual errors and fails to stand up to scrutiny. For example, Hedges didn't hear the shots, and jumps to the conclusion that the Israeli soldiers used silencers on their M-16s. Why would they use silencers in the open day out on the dunes? And why would they do so in one of the most photographed war zones, where cameras anyway record the conflict?

The cylinders he saw on the end of the rifles were probably rubber projectile kits, not silencers. When rubber projectiles are used, it means lethal bullets have been removed from the magazine and blank cartridges are shot to project the rubber pellets.

Hedges even admits to not seeing the boys shot -- they were "out of sight." One has to wonder if Hedges got his information straight from a Palestinian Authority press release.

As one woman wrote to O'Dwyer's: "Mr. Hedges' presentation of chapter-and-verse Palestinian propaganda reminds me of Jane Fonda's use by the North Vietnamese. How a reputable newspaper could print such lies is beyond me. Where is the factual reporting? The photographs? The corroboration?"

In fact, the cylinders that Hedges saw on the end of the rifles are not silencers; they are rubber projectile kits. When used, it means lethal bullets have been removed from the magazine and blank cartridges are shot to project the rubber pellets. Is the veteran Hedges simply ignorant, or is this another case of deliberate misinformation?

Another comment to O'Dwyer's came from a former Israeli soldier who served in Gaza. He writes:

"No soldier is allowed to shoot on his own -- unless he is in a life threatening moment -- even after that the incident is reviewed by higher commanders. I never saw in all my duty Israeli soldier entice others into violence. Even when we were working at checkpoints, we were told to deal with Palestinians with dignity. Even when we arrested known terrorists, they were dealt with dignity."

ECONOMIC DISPARITY

Hedges also takes pains to point out the economic disparity between Jewish and Arab residents of the Gaza Strip. Hedges describes the squalid refugee camp conditions (deliberately perpetuated by the Palestinian Authority, and prior to 1967, by the Egyptian government), and then contrasts the neatly built Jewish homes where "whitewashed villas and manicured lawns and gardens look as if they have been lifted out of a southern California suburb."

By the same logic, shouldn't Hedges be subject to public criticism for enjoying a comfortable lifestyle while others in his hometown live in poverty?

The Israeli settlers brought running water, electricity and work for the Arabs of the Gaza Strip.

One Jewish scholar, Avi Davis, wrote his own "Israel Diary," in which he explains the origins of economic disparity in Gaza:

"[Originally, the Jewish settlement of] Nezer Hatzani was only sand dunes and the Arabs in the area lived in poverty and rags. The Israelis built Nezer Hatzani to produce organic vegetables and it has prospered. In the process, the lives of the local Arab population rapidly rose in quality. The Israeli settlers brought running water, electricity and work for the Arabs of the Gaza Strip... Most of the [Arab workers] have no political agenda, but are hampered by the Palestinian Authority police who make it difficult for the workers to come there and force from them bribes so as not to report them as collaborators."

(1) Hedges was accompanied to Gaza by "artist Joe Sacco." That's all Hedges reveals about his companion. The reader is never told that Sacco has been bashing Israel for a decade since his 1993 "Palestine Book: a Nation Occupied," and the 1996 "Palestine Book: In the Gaza Strip." In a 1994 interview, Sacco explained his books were motivated because "a real historical injustice is being perpetrated on the Palestinian people."

(2) Hedges refers in his article to two incidents at mosques: "The latest intifada erupted when Ariel Sharon visited the Al Aqsa Mosque, one of the holiest sites in Islam..." and Hamas "began to attack individual Israeli civilians after a Jewish settler, Baruch Goldstein, gunned down 29 Muslim worshipers in the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron."

Hedges cannot bring himself to acknowledge the holiness of the two sites to the Jewish people.

Note that Hedges cannot bring himself to acknowledge the holiness of the two sites to the Jewish people -- Al Aqsa is located on the Temple Mount where two Jewish temples stood. The Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron is also known as the Tomb of the Patriarchs, a site of great religious significance to Jews, as well.

(3) Sharon never visited the mosque as Hedges claims; he was touring the Temple Mount where Moslem authorities have been bulldozing ancient remains with impunity. Moreover, while Hedges blames Sharon for starting the intifada, he ignores the fact that Arafat and the Palestinian Authority were preparing for the violence well before Sharon's visit.

Israeli Arab affairs analyst Ehud Ya'ari, recently revealed a new book by Mamduh Nofal, ex- military chief of the Palestinian Democratic Front, in which Nofal reported that "Arafat personally spoke with the commanders and gave them detailed instructions. The heads of Hamas and [Islamic] Jihad were invited to meetings to prepare the strike and processions of rage. The public was called to come to Al Aqsa, the number of [Palestinian] guards were increased and a night shift was implemented."

(4) Hedges flashed his animosity even before he entered Gaza. As Hedges and Sacco passed an Israeli guard post, Hedges donned his flak jacket and mocked the soldiers. "At the last guard post, the blue-and-white flag with the Star of David on a pole overhead, the young soldiers peer out and tell us jokingly to have a nice trip. I point to the word PRESS on my chest. "Shoot me here," I say laughing. And then I point to my head. "Not here."

(5) Hedges never blames Arafat for any of the violence gripping the region or for the breakdown of the peace talks. Arafat's refusal to respond or counter Ehud Barak's generous offers at Camp David is almost praised: "Only [Arafat's] refusal to accept the mutated statelets offered to him at Camp David has saved him from complete pillory." Hedges presents a unique theory for the failure of negotiations to "lead to a two-state solution. The assassination of Rabin settled any chance of that." Years of negotiations followed Rabin's death, including the promising Camp David meeting. By now the two state solution could have been implemented, but Arafat trashed it all.

(6) Hedges bemoans the Palestinian's horrible living conditions. Had Arafat chosen the path of peace, tens of thousands of Palestinians would be employed in Israel today, would be working in jointly owned job-intensive jobs, would be building projects funded by international investors. Israel offered land adjoining Gaza for Palestinian additional housing as part of a land swap on the West Bank. But Arafat rejected it all.

(7) Hedges describes the sorry state of Gaza's fishermen. He fails to report that their industry was shut down after Israel intercepted a Palestinian fishing ship loaded with rockets, ammunition, and grenades.

(8) Hedges chronicles a day-by-day death toll of Palestinian teens in Gaza during his week visit. But nowhere does the reporter present the Israeli casualties on those very same days -- an Israeli teenager wounded and four men killed in four drive-by shootings by Palestinians. Nor does Hedges report that the day after he visited one of his despised Israeli checkpoints a suicide bomber killed two Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint. [see chronology at: http://www.israel-mfa.gov.il/mfa/go.asp?MFAH0ia50]

Hedges conveniently forgets to mention that the checkpoints and road travel restriction were implemented because Palestinian bombers target Israeli vehicles -- even school buses. In one such attack, two Israeli teachers were killed and three children lost their legs.

(9) Hedges' strongest words are left for alleged Israeli shootings of Palestinian teens. He makes no mention of the Gaza disturbances orchestrated as a diversion to draw attention from a massive Palestinian arms smuggling operation through tunnels from Egypt.

(10) Hedges accuses the Israeli army of indiscriminate fire on Palestinian civilians. Buried in his story, however, is evidence that the Israeli troops are actually firing in self-defense. Hedges describes how the soldiers "fire down on the roofs" of the Palestinian shacks. But later he adds, "Bands of Palestinian gunmen, who often initiate the shooting, fire back." He adds later, "Bands of Palestinian gunmen creep up to shoot at the Israeli positions."

(11) Hedges cites an Islamic preacher who claims that he "implores the young boys" not to confront the Israeli soldiers. The reporter fails to report on the extensive and pervasive anti-Israel and anti-Semitic rhetoric spewed forth by the Palestinian religious leadership, school curricula, and television even before the intifada began.

(12) Hedges concludes his screed, "War reduces the ambiguities of life to blacks and whites." That's what Hedges has done, reduced Israel to the "black." The "dark force" is evident throughout his article: The Israeli press center is "dirty poorly lit," Israeli guns have "black nozzles," Israeli gunboats have "black silhouettes," Israeli munitions are "black flechettes," an Israeli checkpoint is "blackened." Get the point? And who wears white? A senior Hamas leader in Gaza "enters dressed in a white robe," Hedges writes.

Hedges, Sacco and Harper's have joined to present one of the worst piece of reporting from the Middle East in recent memory. Reporting? Propaganda is a more accurate description.

CONCLUSION

In response, Hedges told O'Dwyer's PR Daily that he stands by his story and will make no further comments, in keeping with New York Times policy. (Despite the fact that the article was not published in the New York Times.)

Readers are encouraged to demand that Hedges provide proof of his allegations. Otherwise, he is engaging in the same kind of goading that he irresponsibly accuses Israel of.

Featured at Aish.com:

About the Author

HonestReporting, with 140,000 members, is the largest organization fighting media bias in the Middle East conflict. In 2006, HonestReporting launched Media Central, a Jerusalem center providing support services for foreign journalists in Israel and the region.

The opinions expressed in the comment section are the personal views of the commenters. Comments are moderated, so please keep it civil.

Visitor Comments: 8

(8)
Anonymous,
June 14, 2002 12:00 AM

Actually, there are other points on the children-baiting incident that don't stand up factually:

1) The rifles used by the IDF all have supersonic muzzle velocities. Therefore, it is impossible to silence them. The silencers on the link given in one of the comments here does NOT mean that a bystander can not hear the shot, but rather that the shooter will hear less noise (to prevent ear damage) and to suppress the muzzle flash.
2) Hedges claims that he later saw the bodies of those children injured in this incident. However, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent, there was only one fatality and NO injured Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip and the West Bank on that day

(7)
Tamara Adler,
March 5, 2002 12:00 AM

It is available

The article is available on the Harper's website-I read it and I am shocked.

(6)
,
December 9, 2001 12:00 AM

Continuing insidious effect of Hedges' article

An op-ed piece by Ahmed Bouzid of the Palestine Media Watch in the December 9, 2001 Detroit News begins with the Hedges article & uses it to set the tone for his claim that Israel's immoral actions set the stage for last week's suicide bombings.
Is there a distinct short rebuttal of Hedges' article or hard evidence of his bias that can be used to respond to secondary use of his Harper's piece?

(5)
,
November 8, 2001 12:00 AM

even if you could silence rifles, its way to ridiculous to think the isreali army whould hand them out,so they could secretly murder litlle kids ...

how ridiculous can you get?

(4)
Anonymous,
November 5, 2001 12:00 AM

GET THE WORD OUT

This Media Critique was extremely well done as all of your others. The only problem is that they do not even get a fraction of the distribution of the damaging articals themselves. I find that the majority of the people I meet have formed their opinions on the issues based on the millions of articals and news reports like these. I feel that if they are presented with they will probably accept it. Aside from writing letters to the editors, what can be done to further expose this type of "journalism" for what it really is?

(3)
Milton Evans,
November 5, 2001 12:00 AM

Another antisemitic article

Its time Jews and Christians cancell their subscription to Harpers and any other magazine that prints such undocumented antisemetic articles.

(2)
David,
November 4, 2001 12:00 AM

Rebuttal of Harper's article is flawed

The rebuttal of the Harper's article is flawed.

I suppose we'd all like to believe that the NY Times reporter's account of Israeli soldiers using silencer-equipped rifles against Palestinian adolescents was a fabrication, but the rebuttal is seriously flawed. For example, HonestReporting's makes the misleading statement that:

"In fact, it is impossible to put a silencer on a rifle. A rifle fires at supersonic velocity, and most of the noise is a sonic boom of the bullet breaking the sound barrier. Thus it cannot be silenced. Only pistols can be silenced."

This is nonsense. A wide variety of silencers are made for riffles. See, for example:

http://www.brugger-thomet.ch/silencer/Sops/sops.htm

If HonestReporting wants to make a credible rebuttal, it might start with checking its facts.

-David

(1)
Anne Maslow,
November 2, 2001 12:00 AM

truth, nothing but but the truth

Although I don't read harper magaz.

I am glad I read what HonestReporting had to say.It is abhorrent when a magazine of that caliber writes such biased propaganda ;it is nothing less than antisemitism, and we don't need any more of hate-inspiring articles.

I've been striving to get more into spirituality. But it seems that every time I make some progress, I find myself slipping right back to where I started. I'm getting discouraged and feel like a failure. Can you help?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Spiritual slumps are a natural part of spiritual growth. There is a cycle that people go through when at times they feel closer to God and at times more distant. In the words of the Kabbalists, it is "two steps forward and one step back." So although you feel you are slipping, know that this is a natural process. The main thing is to look at your overall progress (over months or years) and be able to see how far you've come!

This is actually God's ingenious way of motivating us further. The sages compare this to teaching a baby how to walk. When the parent is holding on, the baby shrieks with delight and is under the illusion that he knows how to walk. Yet suddenly, when the parent lets go, the child panics, wobbles and may even fall.

At such times when we feel spiritually "down," that is often because God is letting go, giving us the great gift of independence. In some ways, these are the times when we can actually grow the most. For if we can move ourselves just a little bit forward, we truly acquire a level of sanctity that is ours forever.

Here is a practical tool to help pull you out of the doldrums. The Sefer HaChinuch speaks about a great principle in spiritual growth: "The external awakens the internal." This means that although we may not experience immediate feelings of closeness to God, eventually, by continuing to conduct ourselves in such a manner, this physical behavior will have an impact on our spiritual selves and will help us succeed. (A similar idea is discussed by psychologists who say: "Smile and you will feel happy.")

That is the power of Torah commandments. Even if we may not feel like giving charity or praying at this particular moment, by having a "mitzvah" obligation to do so, we are in a framework to become inspired. At that point we can infuse that act of charity or prayer with all the meaning and lift it can provide. But if we'd wait until being inspired, we might be waiting a very long time.

May the Almighty bless you with the clarity to see your progress, and may you do so with joy.

In 1940, a boatload 1,600 Jewish immigrants fleeing Hitler's ovens was denied entry into the port of Haifa; the British deported them to the island of Mauritius. At the time, the British had acceded to Arab demands and restricted Jewish immigration into Palestine. The urgent plight of European Jewry generated an "illegal" immigration movement, but the British were vigilant in denying entry. Some ships, such as the Struma, sunk and their hundreds of passengers killed.

If you seize too much, you are left with nothing. If you take less, you may retain it (Rosh Hashanah 4b).

Sometimes our appetites are insatiable; more accurately, we act as though they were insatiable. The Midrash states that a person may never be satisfied. "If he has one hundred, he wants two hundred. If he gets two hundred, he wants four hundred" (Koheles Rabbah 1:34). How often have we seen people whose insatiable desire for material wealth resulted in their losing everything, much like the gambler whose constant urge to win results in total loss.

People's bodies are finite, and their actual needs are limited. The endless pursuit for more wealth than they can use is nothing more than an elusive belief that they can live forever (Psalms 49:10).

The one part of us which is indeed infinite is our neshamah (soul), which, being of Divine origin, can crave and achieve infinity and eternity, and such craving is characteristic of spiritual growth.

How strange that we tend to give the body much more than it can possibly handle, and the neshamah so much less than it needs!